New York Loft Hostel, Brooklyn
The exposed brickwork of this renovated loft-style building give it an authentic New York feel, while the jacuzzi in the garden promises a party atmosphere. Simple, chic and cheap, it lies two blocks from a subway in the heart of the Brooklyn projects, an area that is shaking off its gangland and industrial estate history and becoming a hipster hangout crammed with artists' studios and indie cafes.
001 718 366 1351, nylofthostel.com. Dorm beds from $23pp pn, private rooms from $40pp pn.
The Harlem Flophouse
Oozing history from every brick, this guesthouse retains many of the building's original Victorian features, including a grandly ornate staircase and claw-footed, free-standing bathtubs in the two shared bathrooms. The four guest rooms have their own character and have been restored to stay true to the house's history which, summer travellers take note, means no air conditioning. There's free WiFi though.
+212 662 0678, harlemflophouse.com. Doubles from $100pn, room only.
AirB&B.com
Designed for the modern budget traveller, this website offers the spare rooms worldwide – and often, the living-room floors – of local residents. The accommodation is, by its nature, hit-and-miss, but user reviews make it easier to avoid the bad ones, and there are some real gems suiting all lifestyles, from Shenaqua and AJ's living-room futon in Brooklyn (Zen Den, $30pn), to Laura's fully furnished two-bedroom apartment in Little Italy, (Huge Flex 2BR, $150pn).
airbnb.com.
ACE hotel New York, Midtown
Hip hotel chain ACE, which started in Seattle, has opened its retro-chic doors in "NoMad" (yes, really – it's short for North of Madison Square Park), a hipster hub in Midtown Manhattan. Achingly cool décor and a a cocktail bar downstairs combine with views of the Empire State Building to make even the most prosaic of guests feel like a beat poet.
+212.679.2222, acehotel.com. Doubles from $169pn.
Big Apple hostel, Midtown
It boasts "the best location in Manhattan", next to Times Square and walking distance to Central Park and the Empire State Building, so this no-frills hostel makes an ideal base for a theatre or sightseeing trip. Rooms are air-conditioned and there is WiFi in the communal areas, but there are no safes or lockers for valuables. If the price isn't enough to tempt you, there is a 24-hour deli right next door.
+212 302-2603, bigapplehostel.com. Dorm beds from $35pp pn.
